Obeid and Macdonald expelled by Labor

Former NSW power broker Eddie Obeid has been expelled from the Labor party along with former minister Ian Macdonald.
Photo: Michele Mossop

by
Michaela Whitbourn

NSW Labor Opposition Leader
John Robertson
has declared the era of his allegedly corrupt former colleagues
Eddie Obeid
and
Ian Macdonald
“dead" after the pair were expelled from state Labor for bringing the party into ­disrepute.

Mr Robertson used a speech at the Institute for Democracy and Human Rights in Sydney on Thursday to ­apologise to voters, following months of explosive evidence about former Labor figures at the NSW Independent ­Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) inquiry.

He confirmed Mr Obeid and Mr Macdonald, who were political allies and former resources ministers, had been expelled from the party over ­allegations aired at the ICAC from November last year.

The two men were accused of part­icipating in a criminal conspiracy to defraud the state of millions of dollars by rigging a tender process for a coal exploration licence over land owned by the Obeid family.

The ICAC will deliver findings in four inquiries into former Labor figures from July. Mr Obeid is involved in two of the investigations while Mr Mac­donald is involved in three.